North Dakota
Photos: Thousands attend 'Hands Off' protests across Minnesota, North Dakota
MINNEAPOLIS — Hundreds, sometimes thousands, gathered in clusters across North Dakota and Minnesota on Saturday, April 5 as part of a nationwide day of protest against actions by the White House administration.
More than 1,200 “Hands Off!” protests were scheduled to take place across the United States Saturday as citizens gathered to rally against President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency.
The Hands Off 2025 website said April 5 was a day for people to take to the streets nationwide with the message “Hands off!” to fight back against the “most brazen power grab in modern history.” The website specifically mentions cuts to Social Security, firing federal workers and cutting consumer protections and health care funding.
In Alexandria, Minnesota, organizers said they were expecting around 300 people, but that Alexandria Area Indivisible ended up running out of the 500 buttons they brought to give away. Alexandria’s rally included comments from Leah Landwehr, a local veteran, who talked to attendees about the importance of the Veterans Administration to local vets.
DETROIT LAKES — More than 200 people showed up at a rally and town hall in Detroit Lakes on Saturday.
The event was held in the former Ace Hardware building downtown — the site of the future Manna Food Co-op.
A large federal grant — awarded to Manna and later pulled — was set to be used for a commercial kitchen in the new Manna building. Manna Food Co-op Treasurer Ryan Pesch said that the Trump Administration likes to frame any spending it cuts as benefiting “a bunch of fraudulent moochers,” but said that the grant to Manna would have supported local contractors and community members.
The Detroit Lakes rally also played host to criticism of Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach for not conducting in-person town hall events, of Trump’s various tariffs on imported goods and against a swath of federal funding cuts or proposed reductions.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison addressed the crowd at Duluth’s Hands Off rally on Saturday.
Tom Wilson of Eau Claire reported roughly 2,500 people had attended the Duluth event on Saturday. Wilson also attended an event in Superior, Wisconsin, where organizers estimated roughly 500 people turned out.
“I’ve been political all my life,” said Wilson, who will turn 80 next month. Going back to the early 1960s, Wilson said he’s been involved in protests for civil rights, against war, and for the environment, and as critical as those issues were, this moment feels even more critical.
“If you read the Declaration of Independence, almost any one of our grievances against King George equally apply to Donald 2.0,” Wilson said “That’s it. The very truly founding principles of our country are at risk at this point.”
Similar events took place around the Northland Saturday, including in Chisholm, Cloquet, Ely, Grand Marais and Grand Rapids.
Approximately 2,000 people lined both sides of Veterans Memorial Bridge between Fargo and Moorhead to protest the actions of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Organizer Lyn Dockter-Pinnick, of Moorhead, said organizers hoped 500 people would show up and she was overcome by the showing.
Periodically, someone broke into a chant, “Show me what democracy looks like,” and the crowd responded with, “This is what democracy looks like.” At other times, the crowd chanted, “Protect the Constitution, the promise of our union.”
Tammy Shannon, of Moorhead, not only carried a sign, she dressed in the long red cloak and white bonnet popularized by Margaret Atwood’s “Handmaid’s Tale” as an additional protest about what’s happening regarding women’s rights.
A rally in Bismarck drew 1,000 attendees Saturday.
Hundreds of people attended a protest near and on Grand Forks’ Sorlie Memorial Bridge against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk on Saturday.
Cathy Williams, of Indivisible Grand Forks, estimated more than 400 people were in attendance, both Democrats and Republicans.
“This is just a wonderful turnout on a beautiful day,” she said.
Williams and Sheila Fontaine, chair of the Minnesotan Polk County and Red Lake County DFL, were two organizers of the protest on their side of the river.
“(Veterans Affairs), Medicare, Medicaid, social security, LGBTQ, veterans, federal workers, you name it,” she said. “That’s the theme from a lot of the signs — hands off.”
About six or seven North Dakota organizations put together the Grand Forks protest, while the Polk County and Red Lake County DFL organized the East Grand Forks one.
Delaney Otto / Grand Forks Herald
The protesters on both sides of the river met on the Sorlie Memorial Bridge around 4:10 p.m. after spending more than an hour on their respective sides. The groups came together with chants supporting democracy, cheering on cars that honked as they drove by on the bridge.
About 130 people gathered on public sidewalks on Saturday in Jamestown, holding signs in a peaceful protest.
Olivia Schloegel and Barb Lang, both members at large of the League of Women Voters of North Dakota, helped to organize the event.
Schloegel said people are affected locally by federal cuts, from Social Security to a USDA program that provided food for schools.
“And so we wanted to make sure that local folks had an opportunity to show up and speak out against what we don’t agree with, which is these destructive cuts at the federal level,” she said.
People participating spoke about, and carried signs about, various issues, including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and support for veterans, victims of domestic violence, members of the LGBTQ+ community and transgender individuals.
At Rochester’s event, hundreds of people carried signs about federal funding cuts, demanding protections for Medicaid and supporting veterans.
“This mass mobilization day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies,” the event page said. “Alongside Americans across the country, we are marching, rallying, and protesting to demand a stop the chaos and build an opposition movement against the looting of our country.”
Rochester’s event ended with live music.
Organizers estimate that more than 2,000 people attended St. Cloud’s Hands Off Protest on Saturday.
“The turnout’s incredible. I counted 2,125 people,” said Jill Kelly, one of the event organizers. She said she walked up and down the protest, which was a few people deep over more than two blocks on either side of Division Street.
Avery Bond of St. Cloud said she showed up to represent the people who would not be able to be at a protest like this one because it wouldn’t be safe. She said people should take hope from a protest like this.
“Anybody who feels like they’re alone going crazy, because the world’s falling apart around us, obviously there are a lot more people who are right here standing with us,” Bond said.
Carter Olson of Sartell held a sign that said “Hands off Dept of Education.” He’s working to get his teacher’s license, he said.
Darlene Kay Struble was born April 11, 1946 in Valley City, ND to Frank and Ruby (Satreaas) Klima. She grew up in LaMoure, ND and graduated from LaMoure High School 1964. After graduation, Darlene continued her education at North Dakota State School of Science in Wahpeton before completing her LPN training in Grand Forks.
Darlene married the love of her life, Charles Struble, on October 25, 1969 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Together, they made their home in Jamestown where she began her career in the OB department at Jamestown Hospital. Her dedication to caring for others continued throughout her professional life, later leading her to Dakota Clinic in Jamestown. Her work was an extension of her compassionate spirit, and she touched many lives until her retirement in 2009.
She filled her days with many loves; her family above all, but also the quiet joys of gardening, flowers, sewing, crafts, and scrap booking. She had a special gift of preserving memories, and spent countless hours gathering family history. Darlene started her day at the Depot Cafe nearly every morning. It was a simple tradition, but one she shared with her children, friends, and eventually grandchildren. Not only were Depot mornings filled with love and laughter, but an abundance of Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes.
Darlene passed away peacefully on March 23rd 2026 at Eventide in Jamestown, surrounded by the love of her family. She leaves behind her husband Chuck, her sons; Cory (Deb) Struble and Dave (Leslie) Struble, two sisters; Linda (Gary) Kraft and Roberta (Karl) Wilhelm, six grandchildren; Jayden (Darsh), Allie, Jonah, Grace, Evyn, and Owen, and seven nieces and nephews. She has been reunited with her parents, her daughter, Tiffiney Dick, and her sister, Mary Lee Guffy.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Jamestown Regional Medical Center Foundations, specifically to the OB ward.
Memorial Service- 3:30 PM Saturday, March 28, 2026 at Haut Funeral Home in Jamestown, ND, with Pastor Kristi Weber, officiating.
Interment- Highland Home Cemetery, Jamestown, ND (at a later date).
I spent the first day of spring, last Friday, weeding my back yard flower beds. Let that sink in, because this is North Dakota. We have April showers in May, and May flowers in June. We sometimes have snow in June, too. Weeding my tulips in March is a first.
The tulips have been up for a couple of weeks in my south-facing gardens. The six inches of snow last weekend did not deter their enthusiasm. According to the South Dakota State University Extension Service, tulips close to our shared border usually begin to appear in late March and early April. Mine are early risers this year. I blame the switch to Daylight Saving Time.
My yarrow and hollyhocks have been green and growing for four weeks. The yarrow was a little miffed at the one subzero night a week or so ago, but the hollyhocks merely flattened out and took it in stride. Our friends at the South Dakota Extension Service assure me both of those plant varieties normally sprout in mid-May. Maybe the frequent solar storms and northern lights displays have affected them.
Shortly after that subzero stretch in February, which Katie the Wonder Puppy and I called The Degrees of Despair, the pussywillow began to bud. I cut my first bouquet this past Friday the 13th. And did you know the blossoms are called catkins?
That shrub is only a couple weeks early in blooming. Obviously, like all cats, my pussywillow is indifferent to solar storms, the northern lights, and Daylight Saving Time. When its feet get warm enough, it stretches out and basks in the sun. Wild catnip has, however, sprouted near the pussywillow’s trunk. I suspect some deep-rooted drug dependency at work there.
But, weeds? There is wild horseradish marching across my tastefully scattered scoria chips. There is quackgrass strangling daylilies and yarrow. There are weeds of unknown name towering over my tulips. Actually, I have a name for those weeds, but that name is best kept to myself.
I pulled out one quackgrass clump, and I am pretty sure its far end stretched all the way to Gladstone. It was like pulling one of those string strips from the top of a fifty-pound sack of sunflower seeds. Not that I regularly buy fifty-pound bags of sunflower seeds for the neighborhood birds, or anything.
I was feeling pretty smug last Saturday after I finished all my weeding. I figured I would need to start mowing in a few more days. I began looking at seed catalogs and dreaming of Big Boy tomato plants.
Late Saturday evening Katie and I went outside to take in the fresh air. It was snowing. Gotta love North Dakota.
Jackie Hope is the longest running Dickinson Press contributor and columnist. Hope’s Corner is a weekly humorous column with a message of hope.
KILLDEER, N.D. — A former fire hall in the heart of Killdeer is being transformed into something entirely new for western North Dakota: an upscale golf simulator facility designed to serve youth athletes, recreational players and the broader community.
Known simply as The Foundation, the new facility is scheduled to open May 1 and will feature multiple state-of-the-art golf simulators, lounge seating, food and beverage options and space for community events. The project is led by the Cowboy Golf Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding opportunities for young golfers in
Killdeer
and surrounding communities.
While the organization has spent more than a decade supporting youth golf programs, the new facility represents its most ambitious project yet — one that leaders hope will benefit residents of all ages.
Contributed / Clayton Johnsen
“This ultimately comes down to supporting the youth,” said Clayton Johnsen, president of the Cowboy Golf Foundation and sixth-grade math teacher and varsity golf coach at
Killdeer Public School
. “The youth ultimately support the community and the businesses around it. We’re trying to keep people here rather than have them go outside the community.”
A vision more than a decade in the making
For Johnsen, the idea behind The Foundation has been ten years in the making.
As a golf coach, he said one of the biggest challenges student athletes face in western North Dakota is the long winter season and lack of indoor practice facilities. In many cases, teams must share limited gym space with other sports, making meaningful golf practice difficult.
“One thing we struggled with as a golf coach is when the weather is inclement — and the winters are long here,” Johnsen said. “We struggle trying to find space, so we pretty much share the gyms at Killdeer Public School. Hitting indoors like that just isn’t conducive to real-life golf.”
Kelly Harju / The Dickinson Press
For years, the team had few options for indoor training besides traveling to Dickinson. The need for a dedicated space for golf practice remained a constant topic of conversation among local supporters of the sport.
The opportunity to make that vision a reality came when city officials approached the foundation about an unused building in town — the former Killdeer
fire hall
.
“The city reached out and said the building was available and asked if we wanted to take a look at it,” Johnsen said. “The board met and everyone loved it. It’s got good bones, tall ceilings, big doors and a great location in the middle of the city.”
Rather than allowing the structure to sit idle, the foundation saw an opportunity to repurpose the space into a modern recreation facility.
Repurposing a community building
The former fire hall offered the ideal footprint for a simulator facility, according to project organizers.
Because the building already includes open floor space and high ceilings, the renovation process has focused primarily on upgrades such as lighting, flooring, technology installation and interior finishes.
Kelly Harju / The Dickinson Press
“The building has strong bones and solid infrastructure,” Johnsen mentioned in a city commission meeting. “Rather than letting it sit idle or drain resources, we have an opportunity to reimagine it into a space that brings people in and supports local activity.”
Renovating an existing structure has also proven to be significantly more cost-effective than constructing a new recreation center.
Upgrades including LED lighting, modern sound systems and epoxy flooring are helping transform the space into a premium facility without the price tag of a full rebuild.
Johnsen said the visual impact will be noticeable the moment visitors walk through the doors.
Kelly Harju / The Dickinson Press
“They’re going to epoxy the whole floor, so that’ll be a big wow factor,” he said. “There will be LED lighting inside and out, and almost 20 TVs throughout the building.”
The facility will also include sliding barn doors and private areas that can be used for corporate gatherings, holiday parties or community events.
A new kind of recreation in western North Dakota
Once completed, The Foundation will feature four golf simulator bays and multiple large projection screens capable of creating immersive golf experiences.
Two of the simulator screens will measure approximately 25 feet wide and curve around the hitting area, creating a 180-degree field of view. Two additional simulators will measure about 18 feet wide.
Kelly Harju / The Dickinson Press
But golf will only be part of the experience.
The simulator technology will also allow visitors to play virtual versions of other sports and games, including football, soccer, trapshooting and kickball.
The goal, according to facility manager Billie-Jo Stahl, is to create a welcoming space where people of all ages want to spend time.
“We want to wow people,” Stahl said. “And we want it to become a place for kids to come and hang out.”
In addition to simulator bays, the facility will include lounge seating areas where visitors can relax, socialize and watch television while others play.
Food and beverages will also be available, adding to the social atmosphere.
Contributed / Clayton Johnsen
“Food and drink will be here, and we have sitting areas,” Stahl said. “We also have plans for an outdoor patio where people can relax and enjoy events,” Johansen added.
Community partners are also helping bring unique touches to the facility. For example, Cowboy Golf Foundation board member Jeremy Bird plans to provide smoked meats that can be served during events or gatherings.
Supporting student athletes
Although The Foundation is designed to serve the entire community, youth athletes remain at the heart of the project.
The Cowboy Golf Foundation has spent more than a decade supporting local students who participate in golf.
According to Johnsen, the organization pays for golf course memberships for every student golfer at Killdeer Public School and provides equipment such as clubs and push carts when needed.
“We started this over 10 years ago to give youth opportunities they normally wouldn’t have,” Johnsen said. “We pay for their memberships at Medicine Hole Golf Course, and we provide anything they need on or off the golf course.”
The foundation also awards scholarships to graduating seniors who participate in the golf program.
The new facility will take that support a step further by providing year-round training opportunities.
Kelly Harju / The Dickinson Press
With advanced simulator technology, players will be able to analyze swing data, ball flight, club speed and accuracy — tools typically available only at high-end training facilities.
This kind of data-driven practice environment can help student athletes refine their technique and remain competitive even during the winter months.
The facility is also expected to attract visiting teams from across the region.
Because the building is large enough to accommodate an entire team at once, organizers say it could become a training destination for school programs within a 100-mile radius.
“No other town within 100 miles of Killdeer can do the same,” Johnsen said in a commission meeting. “We want this to be the premier golf facility in western North Dakota.”
A gathering place for the community
Beyond athletics, The Foundation is also designed to become a social hub for Killdeer residents.
Organizers envision the facility hosting birthday parties, leagues, tournaments and corporate gatherings throughout the year.
The building’s flexible layout will allow groups to rent space for events ranging from holiday parties to community celebrations.
Kelly Harju / The Dickinson Press
Plans also include an outdoor patio area where seasonal events and gatherings can take place.
For many residents, the facility will offer a new form of recreation that isn’t dependent on weather conditions — a particularly valuable feature in North Dakota.
Weather and daylight hours often limit outdoor activities for much of the year. Indoor simulators allow people to enjoy golf and other sports regardless of the season.
Families, students, seniors and visitors will all be able to participate.
A nonprofit mission focused on community
Despite the scale of the project, Johnsen emphasizes that the foundation itself is nonprofit and community-driven.
“Our foundation is nonprofit, so everything we do comes back to the kids and the community,” he said. “We’re not benefiting off this. It’s about giving people opportunities.”
Looking ahead, the foundation hopes the success of the facility could lead to future expansion.
Contributed / Clayton Johnsen
One long-term vision is the possibility of adding additional space dedicated specifically to youth programming.
If that happens, the public portion of the facility could eventually operate around the clock through a membership system that allows users to reserve simulator time online and access the building through secure entry.
“It’s all about building something that the community can be proud of,” Johnsen said. “We want people from Dunn County and beyond to see this and feel like it’s something special.”
As the finishing touches are completed — from flooring and paint to lighting and sound systems — anticipation continues to build for the facility’s grand opening.
For many in Killdeer, The Foundation represents more than just a golf simulator.
It is a project rooted in community pride, youth development and the belief that even a small town can create something truly unique.
And if organizers have their way, the former fire hall will soon become one of the most popular gathering places in western North Dakota.
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